Destiny: Heart on Fire
by Brokenrain223
Summary: Every Guardian knows of the ruthless Queen of the Reef as well as her cold, relentless brother, Crow. When a Human Hunter awakes from her sleep beyond the grave, she is dragged into the war between humanity's Last City, and the Darkness that seeks to finish what it started. Follow Artemis and her Ghost as she uncovers secrets of the City, the Reef, and even herself. Crow/Artemis
1. The Reawakening

_The sky was on fire…_

_My friends… My family… Screaming…_

_Hot blood clung to my arms…my legs…my chest…_

_The Darkness…_

"Hello? Guardian? Wake up!"

My bones burned, searing pain into every cell of my body. The sun above cast blinding light onto my face, and I let out a weak groan from the agony pulsating so feverishly through my body with each beat of my heart. What happened? As I risked a look into the sky above, my eyes focused on a small, floating object. Its blue eye fixated on my form, not with anger, or fear, or hunger…but with concern. That was more I could've asked for after waking up from the dead.

"Alright…so you've been dead for a _long_ time, and you're probably going to see a lot of things you're not going to understand right away-"

A screech in the distance cut the little white robot off, his miniscule body turning to face the horizon with what I could only assume was fear.

"Like that?" I rasped with extreme difficulty.

The robot chuckled, "Like that," he agreed, "Come on, we need to get out of here."

With difficulty, and the land of the dead still claiming a majority of my strength, I pushed myself into a sitting position, now examining my body with more detail. I was wearing…armor?

"Oh…yeah, I used the scrap lying around here to make some…temporary protection for you, I hope you like it."

I did like it. The armor that now was clasped over my flesh felt soft on the inside, but looked like it could pack a punch. It fit perfectly; I'd been born to wear it. Over my head, a hood wrapped my helmet in a gentle embrace, and extended to a cloak that ended at the back of my kneecaps.

Yeah, I could do this.

…Or so I thought.

"Thank you…" I breathed, still enduring waves of nausea and vertigo that now plagued my awakening body. The little robot whirred in a silent reply…then vanished in a wave of white pixels. I panicked, my heart picking up in my chest as I frantically searched the scene around me for the bot that had brought me back…

"It's fine. I'm still here with you…I'm a Ghost by the way, well, actually, now I'm _your_ Ghost."

"Ghost…" My tired mind mulled over the name for a few moments, and I smirked slightly, "Where to?"

"To the Wall, straight ahead, there should be a path that leads to the Cosmodrome, that's our best hope of finding a ship and making it to the City."

"The City?"

As we cut through the wall, killing members of a race of extraterrestrials that had taken control of Earth called, 'The Fallen', I was explained the condition of the planet on which humankind had once thrived upon. The arrival of the Traveler. The Golden Age of our kind. The Darkness which consumed our colonies and wiped out all but the entirety of our race.

I was exhausted by the time we cleared the metal barricade that extended as far as my eyes could see. Ghost would continue talking when we weren't in a firefight, calming my nerves and reminding me that I was no longer alone. For that I was grateful. Despite waking up after being dead for…I don't even know how long it was…and immediately being thrust into a war between humans and aliens, I kept calm. All those Sci-Fi horror flicks came rushing back from my childhood, panic meant death.

I would not die. Not again.

"Up ahead! There's a ship, Dock 13, it's in shambles…but it might fly."

"Might?"

"Would you rather stay here? With all the Fallen?"

I paused, glancing around at the corpses of Dreg and Vandal alike. If the world I knew hadn't been destroyed, I might have felt guilty…but now, I only felt a horrid sense of pride at my actions. Flexing the knife I'd stolen off a Dreg soldier in my left hand, I switched my gaze back to the little white bot that seemed to be my only ally right now in this screwed up world.

"Lead the way."

My feet echoed in the empty, metal halls of the Russian buildings, making sure the check the corners I passed as well as the hollowed out ceilings that lay in contrast patterns above my head. More than one Dreg had decided it to be wise to drop down onto the girl with a knife, because of these recurring instances, my armor tattered together from my Ghost was now bathed in tears, scratches, and blood.

Fortunately for me, as I turned into the Docking Bay, a lowly Vandal was all the resistance I had to deal with. As it turned, I fired twice on my pulse rifle, the first trio of blasts landing on the Fallen's torso, and the second finishing him off. As the corpse fell to the ground, blood now ebbing out of the gunshot wounds and staining the ground beneath it indigo, Ghost materialized to my left, flying towards the rust bucket for a ship.

"Will it fly?" I questioned, gun still trailed at the door in case any Fallen nearby had heard the dying screams of the Vandal.

"It's damaged…but it might just get us to the City."

Screeches of outrage echoed down the halls, sending goose bumps up my arms, and causing me to tighten my fingers around the smooth, white surface of the rifle. I retreated, step by step, watching and waiting to see what awaited me down that hallway… Bony creatures, with brown and white streaks of rotting flesh and horrid claws charged towards me. I fired blindly at them, now turning and sprinting towards the ship. One of their wicked nails caught me in the calf, and I fell. A burning sensation covered my body…I thought I was dying.

I leapt up from the bone chilling creatures, my gun seeming to burn golden for a second. I fired trio after trio of burning gold rounds into their ranks, the bodies disintegrating at the first touch. What little strength I had seemed to drain, and left me lightheaded and breathless. I hit the ground, everything around me going white. I shut my eyes.

"Ghost!" I screamed, feeling the ground beneath me vanish for a split second…but when I opened my eyes the environment around me had changed. A rusty, metal floor now dwelt beneath me, a chair has come out of nowhere to rest in front of me, positioned in front of a control panel straight out of Star Trek, and Ghost, a blue beam emitting from his eye and probably piloting the ship all by his lonesome.

"You're okay. We're safe…" He was trying to keep me calm, but I could see in the shining blue eye of his as he turned to me that something was wrong.

"What?" I snapped irritably picking myself up from the floor of the ship that now lurched higher and higher into the sky.

"What attacked you… They're members of the Hive, designated name, Thrall."

"Not Fallen?" I began to feel woozy, and clasped the wall beside me for support. Risking a glance back at my leg, I almost vomited. The claws of the Thrall had cut cleanly through my armor, and torn deep into the flesh beneath, oozing pus dripped out of the deep slash, and I swore the specks of white that I saw in there was bone…

"Guardian!" Ghost whirled to look at me in worry, and swiftly turned back to the control terminal near the front of the ship, "This is the Arcadia Jumpship, bearing Mark 127! My Guardian is down!"

"Reading you loud and clear Arcadia, permission to dock in Bay 1, medical personnel on standby."

The scene blurred in shades of black and blue, and I slid down to the ground, breathing shallowly in what I assumed was a panic attack. The ship rumbled and with a jolt, stopped moving altogether. My head hit the ground, and the darkness covered my vision.


	2. The Huntress

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey peoples! Brokenrain here! For anyone reading this I'd like to thank you for taking even just a second to come and check out my fanfic. To those of you who read the first chapter already, you can probably tell I'm not the best, reviews are always appreciated, along with constructive criticism and feedback. I'll be updating this fiction every 2-3 days, depending on homework, track and field schedules, and holidays. I will make them as long as my muse permits. Thanks! Hope you enjoy!**

XXX

"Is she okay?"

"The wounds were pretty deep…"

"Quiet! Quiet!"

The world around me blurred in and out of focus, lights becoming horribly bright, and then dimming down to almost nonexistence. I groaned, trying to sit up, but feeling a gentle set of hands press me back down into what I assumed was a bed. Although, I guess I wasn't in a place to assume things in this world…it was Earth, but not the Earth I had grown up in and learned to cope with, for all I knew these people used floating sheep to sleep in…

I let out a weak whimper, my mind fighting what I once was, and what I was now. Memories of my past fought back with memories of what I was now.

A Guardian.

A Hunter.

"You're awake!" I heard, and with a pounding heart I tried to remember whose voice it was...

Joe?

Anthony?

Ian?

No... Ghost.

"Hush Ghost." A stern voice snapped, "The poor girl is probably exhausted and she doesn't need your blabbering to keep her awake." It was a female voice, and I grimaced. Whoever this bitch was, she was NOT going to talk to Ghost like that.

"Actually," I growled, "Keep talking Ghost, it's better than that overbearing ass's assumptions."

I heard a huff, with laughter in the back of the room. Two men.

"Well Cayde, she's definitely a Hunter...and to think I had hope… Have fun."

Yep. I'd pissed her off. Mission accomplished.

"I'll pick one of my Hunters over ten of your Warlocks any day, _Ikora_, thank you very much." The one called Cayde snapped. I couldn't see his face, my vision still blurry and unfocused.

I moaned once more, trying to sit up. Dear God, everything hurt like a bitch.

"Easy kid." There was a slight ruffling sound, as a chair was dragged over, and he plopped down into it with a dull thud. Funny. It sounded like metal, "You've got spunk kid… I like that in my Hunters."

"_Your_ Hunters?"

He gave a short laugh, "I should probably explain, the name's Cayde-6, but just call me Cayde. I'm a Vanguard, the leader of the Hunters that come to the Tower. What you did back at the Cosmodrome is your gift of the Light. We call it Golden Gun, a common ability of Hunters. Until you're back on the field, I'll be teaching you some of the skills you'll need. I see you've already got a knife..." He cast a thoughtful glance at the Dreg blade I had torn from one of the Fallen I'd taken out, "Whoever we were before, if you remember, probably didn't live _exactly_ by the rules if you know what I mean… You seem to fit that category." I fixed Cayde with a look, and I can only assume he chuckled, "Anyway, we're the scouts of the City, the snipers and assassins. As you start to remember more about...before, you'll only get better."

Ghost spoke up, "And I can help!" The little bot's tone of enthusiasm made my mouth twitch up in the shadow of a smile.

"Alright, rest up kid; I'll check in with you after the medics clear you for active duty."

I nodded, thinking about all the questions I still had, but settled for a simple, "Thank you." I mentally scowled to myself as the fuzzy imaged man left the room, nausea twisting in the pit of my stomach. Whatever idiot assigned these damn medications to me was going to get a knife to the throat as soon as I was up and active once more…

XXX

It took two weeks, seven death threats, and four instances of sedatives when I finally got out of the med bay. Good riddance. If I had to be in that room for one more day I would've killed myself with that Dreg knife. As my aching legs carried me out into the courtyard from the lower levels of the Tower, I couldn't help but inhale in muted amazement.

In the open, talking as though nothing was wrong in this screwed up universe, were Guardians. Just like me. With Ghosts, much like my own. Some varied in colors, dark red with blue notches on the corners, pale green, with stripes of yellow adjourning their triangular shells… Ghost gave a slight huff, trying to break my attention away from the glamoured-up companions of the Guardians that undoubtedly had more kills, experience, and ranking than I did.

I coughed awkwardly, "I'm not really a fan of the paint jobs Ghost, don't worry."

He only shot me a look, "We should find Cayde now. With luck he's in the Hall of the Guardians."

"Yeah like I know where that is," I snorted sarcastically, "In case you've forgotten my technological friend, I just woke up from the dead two days ago. I am _**not**_ affiliated with the swing of things."

"Don't be sassy."

"Bite me."

I followed him in silence towards a stairwell near the back end of the courtyard, avoiding the gazes and murmurs the odd Guardian or two cast in my direction. If things went well, they'd know who I was very soon.

I had never been so right.


	3. Basic Training

**Author's Note: So this chapter took a bit longer to do, I've got to work on my combat writing, but seeing as this was just a simulation and Artemis was aware, I decided not to make anything too dire. The editing process took a bit longer than the others, as the first draft of this was about 1,800 words and way too descriptive, a little something with me doing the Vault of Glass with my friends for three hours might have something to do with it too. Review! Favorite! Follow! Constructive criticism is always appreciated! Enjoy!**

**-Broken Rain**

"Come on, I've seen corpses with faster reflexes!"

I scowled, I knew Cayde was trying to get me angry, find my trigger. I couldn't do it. The EXO, as I'd come to recognize his species as, had kept me in the training area for a good three hours now...even Ghost was starting to get tired. Apparently the link we shared to run the simulations was made only by the Light given to us by the Traveler, a massive white orb that we knew almost nothing about, but could develop stable environments for humankind to live in and had saved the City from the Darkness. I was skeptical at first, if the Traveler had done so much on other planets, why couldn't it have protected more of Earth? I decided not to ask, for fear of further upsetting my Vanguard, and refocused on my training at hand.

"Try it again!"

I moved to the center of the ring, the trio of circles burning with blue light as they recognized the presence of a Guardian, and died down to a low glow. I could feel the buzzing of Ghost's mind with mine in the back of my neck, and I closed my eyes, letting instinct take over my rationality.

I was a Hunter. Of everyone and everything. Nothing could escape me.

As my eyes flickered open once more, I found myself in a deep darkness. The shadows around me were alive, trios of piercing green eyes stalking this way and that, hissing in anticipation as they pattered closer and closer on those bony legs of theirs.

It was a simulation, but it felt so real.

I slowly moved my hand down to my belt, heart pounding and breath ragged as my fingers closed around my grenade...

Three...

Two...

One...

"Now Guardian!" Ghost's panicked voice buzzed in the back of my head, and I threw the explosive into the Hive ranks. A Cursed Thrall detonated with the impact, shattering the ranks of the Acolytes and Thrall with a bone-chilling shriek. My mind raced, not even forming full thoughts anymore.

_Duck._

_Turn._

_Shoot._

_Knife._

_Where?_

_Light._

_**GOLDEN GUN.**_

The energy of the Traveler flowed through me in a burning wave. Whipping out the Hand Cannon that Cayde had supplied for me earlier, I channeled the energy through my burning body to the magazine of shots. Whirling on the Hive ranks that were advancing, my finger twitched on the trigger firing three explosive shots into the ranks, disintegrating Thrall and Acolyte alike with the first touch.

"Artemis-!"

I whirled on my heel, leaping into the air as high as I could. Below me, a Knight's sword shattered the rocky ground into nothing but fragmented pebbles. Time seemed to slow as I lunged onto the massive Hive's back, my blade somehow finding its way to my hand. I didn't even remember reaching for it. I thrust the Dreg knife into the Knight's eyes, listening to his screams of pain with closed eyes. I had no intent on seeing what horrid damage I was doing to the creature below me. The scream faltered with a choking, ragged sigh, and the Knight fell.

Using the massive body as a source of primitive cover, I refocused my attention on the hostiles nearest the glowing circles I stood in.

A Knight and a duo of Thrall. Two shots from my sniper rifle felled the massive Hive quickly enough, and a quick flick of my knife sliced through the throats of the Thrall. Chills spread up my spine as I watched the Thrall crawl towards me, choking out gasps of hunger and bloodlust.

So this was the Darkness.

The screaming hiss of a Hive sorcerer reached my ears, and I whirled to face it...

_Too late._

The air around me ignited black in horrid toxins, and God only knows what else. It consumed my body in fire...like Golden Gun, but not as welcoming or empowering... I felt my strength ebb away as I crawled towards the edge of the sphere, my torso broke through the curse, and I shook a sigh of relief from my burning body. Forcing my bones to keep moving, I broke free from the poisonous embrace and took off further down the hall, leaping and weaving this way and that to avoid the projectiles firing from the weapons of the Hive.

I had to retake the circle to end the simulation.

Snagging a trip mine from my belt, I hurled it to the Wizard's lithe form, sticking to its shoulder and severing the Hive's consciousness from the world of the living. Thrall bodies went flying this way and that, and I started back for the circle after dispatching the last of them. Panting hard, I collapsed in the circle carved into the ground, leaning against the corpse of the Knight as reality around my shifted and warped back to that of the training rooms in the Tower.

"Nice work." Ghost's exhausted murmuring came through my head as he phased into the room with a flurry of white pixels.

"Now _that_, is what a Hunter should look like on the battlefield. Nice run rookie, I might make a legend out of you yet..." Cayde drifted off, thoughtfully staring at me. I met his distant gaze with my own, green eyes blazing with dull exhaustion, "Go get some rest kid, you earned it."

I exhaled in relief, moving out of the circle carved into the ground and starting for the door. The other simulators were occupied by two Titans and a Warlock, all struggling just as I had been over the past few hours. I almost felt bad for them.

Almost.


	4. The Legend

**Author's Note: I apologize for the amount of time that went without uploading a chapter, I have had some serious personal issues involving the death of a beloved friend's cousin and that friend falling into a serious depression, that, along with the holidays, school work, and track and field, it has been a bit difficult to write. Now that I'm on vacation though, expect chapters more frequently, I have a goal to make it to chapter six or seven by the time school starts back up again. Thank you and enjoy the chapter.**

**XXX**

My burning feet carried me up the stairs and into the courtyard. Behind me, the familiar whirring of the mechanical doors sliding shut behind me; entrance into those training rooms was only accessible if you had the permission of the Vanguard, or if one of them was actually with you. That I understood. It was probably the most advanced technology in this place, and they couldn't just have anyone using it... Right?

Something didn't feel right though. Not just about the training rooms, but about the entire operation. The Traveler. The Ghosts. The Guardians. Even the Speaker. I couldn't place it, but I'd felt this before... Felt this feeling of constant tension and terror.

Leaning against the railing that separated Guardians from falling to their doom to the Last City, I peered over it. Up here, life didn't seem half bad, but it only made me feel guilty as my eyes passed over the state of the houses below.

From what I could tell not many Guardians went into the Last City, for what little time they were here, they were either in the Tower and soon to leave, or Titans guarding the wall day and night. Even I didn't know what happened down there, my Ghost had brought me right to the Tower's ship hangar. I shuddered as I halfmindedly traced the wound's location on my calf.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A British toned voice shook me from my thoughts, and as I whirled to face it, my eyes settled upon the form of the Speaker. He chuckled, sending chills down my spine, "I apologize Guardian, I did not mean to frighten you."

I only nodded, before turning back to the City below, "In the world I grew up in, there were too many people in the world. Now there's hardly any left..." I found my hand clenching itself into a fist on the railing, and immediately relaxed the muscles in it. Anger surged through me...

"Ah, so you're starting to remember then?" He questioned coming along to stand beside me.

"Bits and pieces here and there. The basic things, my first name, what I did..." I trailed off, not keen to share what other information that could be used against me.

I almost laughed. Cayde had been right about Hunters. To us, trust was not in our vocabulary.

"Well, even if that is all you remember Guardian, I ask that you remember this: if you dwell too long in the past, you may just lost the present." With a comforting pat on my shoulder, he turned and started for the Iron Banner which blocked off a smaller courtyard from the one I know stood in.

I'd only ever seen Cayde, Ikora, Zavala, the Speaker, and the a City Consensus in there, along with whatever brainless Titans who had signed up to be guards. There were never any everyday Guardians. Call me crazy, but this entire operation was starting to feel like those dictatorships that we'd always learned about in school. And the Speaker was the dictator. What he said went without question. Whatever missions he wanted done, went before any other priority, yet Guardians were never told why it was so important...

Sighing in both physical, and mental, exhaustion, I turned away from the City, and headed for the dorms, where my less than pleasant roommate awaited my arrival. The jerkoff. My feet found their way to Hall H7, Room B208. Home sweet home. If every roommate were as welcoming as mine, I understood why Guardians never stayed in the Tower...

Ghost apparated to my right, looking me up and down, but saying nothing. If there was one thing he had that I didn't, it was a social filter. Those words never did fit together right in my head. Smirking to myself slightly, I opened the door to a woman with light blue skin and hair like starlight. Her mark lay to the right of her next to a shotgun and an auto rifle. The opposite of my ideal load out. The opposite of myself.

"Aw, hey bitch, thought you died, I was about to jerk off on your bed."

"Go screw yourself Kalec, what other friends would you have? How would you even _think_ without me?" My tone was jesting, but not the like of which that would be used amongst friends.

"And since when do _Hunters _think at all?" She snapped back beginning to stand up.

"Since Titans couldn't hold their F'ing guns without shooting themselves."

Kalec snorted, unable to figure out a comeback, and stayed silent. Her red and yellow Ghost fixed mine with a judging, blue gaze, and then turned back to the shotgun it had been repairing. My Ghost scoffed, and hovered by my shoulder as I set my weapons down on my bed. Cayde, insisting that a Hand Cannon would function more smoothly with Golden Gun, had replaced my pulse rifle with said weapon, he'd also supplied me with a sniper rifle...and let me tell you, I was born to use one of those.

Smiling to myself, I hopped onto my bed, folding my knees beneath me and pulling the rifle to my lap. The light outside waning with the hours that passed as I cleaned my weapons, thoughts swirling in my head like a hurricane. I remembered...something...

Humankind had been advancing on a manned mission to Mars, something about the appearance of an unidentified object being caught on the radar, and strange sightings on the red planet from the satellites. I almost wanted to slap myself. Of course... It had been the Traveler.

But how had I died?

My head throbbed, and isn't a shaky sigh I set my rifle aside and laid back on my bed. I didn't care if I fell asleep in my armor right now, more important manners were on my mind.

It was there, lying on my bed, in which I made the promise: I would survive. No matter what this galaxy had to throw at me, I would walk, crawl, or limp out still breathing.

I have tried so hard to ignore the nagging voice at the back of my head, so in a desperate attempt to erase it I write its message here:

Like all promises humanity has made over its eons of survival on the planet Earth, all have been broken. This code, still applies to those alive now. The Awoken. The Humans. The EXOs.

Every promise must be broken.


	5. The Meeting

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **

It's been five years since I came to the Tower with the wound of a Thrall engraved so deeply into my calf. Remember those Titans? And that Warlock? Well, like I said, I almost felt sorry for them. From what I heard, those bastard Titans got stationed on the Wall, and the Warlock was a personal whaddya-call-it for the City Consensus. Me? I got stuck on the Earth, this hell of a wasteland, until the distant planets in this solar system called for my attention.

And like I said, since that first day in the courtyard, everyone now knew who I was.

Artemis, the Gunslinger. The lone wolf who lived for the perfect shot.

I never missed. I didn't miss the shot when I first stole my warp drive from an Archon Priest (his screams still bring music to my ears). I didn't miss when I defended the last Warmind, Rasputin. And for all of those feats, I worked alone.

Most Guardians preferred to work in teams of three, Fireteams, if you will. One Hunter, one Titan, and one Warlock. Lone wolves weren't uncommon, but out of the group, most were Hunters, just trying to stay alive.

You could ask the others about the lengths I take to survive; some of them might tell you I've gotten many Guardians killed, and the reason I haven't a single candidate for a Fireteam is because I haven't yet found a suicidal Guardian, others, mainly Hunters, just say I'm smarter than the rest. You go in alone, you fight alone, and you die alone. I wish I had kept this record clean, but there was one time…

I never asked those Warlocks to come with me when I journeyed beneath the Cosmodrome, I never asked them to stay by my side against the Hive whose power was unmatched by any and all that were there. I didn't shed a tear when each and every Warlock fell. I survived. Needless to say, this failed to improve my relationship with Ikora.

What's in the past is in the past…but I'd be lying if I said I didn't lose a bit of sleep after that mission.

Since then, I didn't really have to deal with death. At The Praetorian, a bar in the Tower where Guardians went to drink away their guilt, sorrows, and regrets, it wasn't uncommon to see a lone Titan with bloodshot eyes and a wet face. Or a Warlock with their head clasped tightly in their hands. Maybe even a Hunter, twisting their knife in a furious rage into whatever table they sat at...alone. They'd all lost something. Someone. They were right there and didn't do anything. Some were afraid. Some weren't fast or smart enough. Whatever the reason, they failed.

_That_ is the burden lifted off your shoulders when you take the social standing of a lone wolf. You work alone. You die alone. No one thinks twice about what crazy mission you go out to do, they just weigh the odds or your survival.

So, there I stood on one of the countless fallen planes who never made it off the ground, staring out across the Russian bay. A sniper could've easily picked me off from practically any cliff in the open area, but there were none left. Below me, the ground was covered in blood, and littered with corpses. It had been a massacre. Three shots to shatter their upper command and send the Dregs into an uncoordinated attack, another seven from the hand cannon to wipe out the foot soldiers, and a trip mine to finish off whatever Vandals had evaded my slaughter long enough to retreat inside.

These were scouts, from whatever house the Cryptarchs had warned me about back at the Tower. They were dead; they weren't a threat to anyone anymore. My job was done. Taking one last, longing look at the water's clear, blue water, I turned, and leapt from the plane's wing and onto the half-frozen soil.

The snow beneath my boots squished with a satisfying crunch, and I casually slung my sniper rifle across my shoulders, scuffing my heels to kick the white powder up into the air. The faint, blinking light of a beacon had grazed the edges of my vision, and now beckoned me closer and closer to it. Whatever bounty those scrubs back at the Tower needed, they'd get it, but at a price.

Don't look at me like that, sniper rifles ain't cheap.

Kneeling down by the silver spike buried in the ground, I extended my left hand into the air, and felt a smile tugging at my lips as white pixels began to form in the air, and out popped the little robot who I owed my very existence to. Ghost's body whirred as he looked at me, then turned his eye to the blinking green light.

"_Guardians, this is Eva Levante from the Tower. I require some resources from this location, details encrypted for your Ghost…"_

Lowering my hand cannon to the ground, I fired a single shot, obliterating the spike into a tiny thread of wires and sparks. They were supposed to deactivate after each Ghost received the objective, but I wasn't about to take that chance. My own Ghost's body bulged out to create a soft, blue orb, as he relayed the mission.

"She's looking for…Docking Caps? Straight from Dreg bodies… Luckily we have our pick over there; let's see if you've left enough intact to harvest what we need."

I smirked beneath the Mangala helmet, and turned back to the hellish scene I had created with nothing but my guns and my knife. My stomach churned slightly, but I strode towards the corpses in confidence. Everyone assumed that I was ruthless, nothing but a stonehearted killer. They were wrong, but I didn't dare say it. If there was one thing I remembered most vividly from those history books when I was young, it's that it is far better to be feared, than loved.

The more people fear you, the farther they run, and the more pain you can spare them in the days to come. By then, the voice in my head was still screaming, still grinding the fact…that someday, there would be one Vandal slug, one Dreg blade, one Captain punch, that I _wouldn't_ be able to dodge. We all make mistakes. Awoken. Human. EXO.

It's just that Guardians can't afford to. Not when you're like me…

"Guardian?"

Apparently I'd stopped short from the corpses, my Ghost hovered in front of my face, his little blue eye blinking in concern at my unmoving form.

"Guardian? Are you alright?"

"Yes." My voice cracked slightly, and I hurriedly cleared it, "I'm fine. Let's get this over with, and head back to the Tower…" I took the last few steps towards the corpses, and crouched down, pushing my cloak out of the way of the blood and flesh.

It was repulsive, the Dreg flesh beneath the armor was scorched from the impact of the hand cannon shots, and practically fell apart as I used my knife to cut it away from the armor. As I let the last of the Docking Caps fade from reality and back to the ship in white pixels, a cold spread over me. Yes, Earth was more silent than it had been for centuries…but there was still the occasional squawk of a crow here and there, or the sound of wind rustling the branches.

Nothing.

"Ghost…summon the Nomad." I slowly reached for my Renegade Mk.5, hands sweaty behind my gauntlets as I readied myself for combat, "Do it now-!"

The blast came from the southern region of the Mothyards, and sent the corpses of the Fallen careening over the Russian landscape. I ran for cover, weaving to and fro across my path as the distant cries of Vandals and worse echoed throughout the freezing area. The next blast sent my own body hurdling through the air. The wind left my body, forcing burning coughs from my oxygen deprived lungs. I crawled behind the closest cover I could find, the rusting frame of a car, and ducked behind it. Fighting back the coughs from my chest, I shakily unclasped my Prudence II from my back, and crouched down below the car.

Where had they all come from?

The Fallen transport was now in the lower atmosphere of Earth, starting to take off back to who knows where. It had left behind a Captain, five Vandals (some probably with a stealth module), Dreg, and Noble Shanks. My breath near caught in my throat, but my coughing fit still raged on, and forced it out as soon as it had come.

Four of the Vandals scurried here and there, taking cover with their own squadrons of Dreg behind the fallen planes, accompanied by their mechanical bloodhounds, the Shanks. Whomever failed to take cover, pushed forwards with their Captain. Alright, alright, alright…

Dreg first…

_One... Two… Three…_

Dreg grunt after Dreg grunt fell. They were weak. At least by eliminating them I could take down some factors of my ever impending demise. Pushing my Prudence II aside, I took up the Renegade, and took on suppressing fire towards the hostile forces.

"Artemis! Behind you!"

I whirled, the burning coughs seizing up in my chest, and scrambled to the right as a Captain's fist slammed into the ground where I'd been only moments before. My hand cannon skidded across the ground, and, despite the gravity of the situation, I smirked. This was gonna be fun.

I circled to the right, clasping my knife from its trusty sheath on my shoulder blade, and waited. The Captain charged, not wanting to take splash damage from the close distance with the shrapnel cannon it grasped so tightly in its right hand. Roaring in anger, it's fist slammed down once more, and I jumped. The Light brought me higher and higher… Then I fell, dropping through the biting chill of the morning and landing squarely on his shoulders, my blade tearing through his shield and splitting his neck wide open. Blue blood sprayed out, staining my visor around the edges. I fell with the corpse, and rolled back to my hand cannon. Already, the remaining Captain and Vandals shrieked in anger for their fallen leader, urging the forces closer and closer.

I was running out of time.

"Aw, screw it."

I leapt out of cover, my scatter grenade flying out from my palm and vanishing into the ranks of the Fallen. The collateral damage was explosive, and with a 'whoop' I fist pumped the air. Racing forwards, I felt the familiar burning arise within my very soul, and leapt into the air. Heart pounding with the pure power, my body ignited with golden energy, flowing throughout my arm and into my weapon.

The first shot pierced the Captain's shields.

The second shot did him in.

The third incinerated a stray Vandal.

Then it was over. I rolled to a halt and whirled, heart still pumping with power as I whirled, the Golden Gun now gone, and finished off the remaining two Shanks. Their bodies twisted and careened into the ground with tiny bursts of fire and sparks, before lying still. I fist pumped into the air, smirking confidently behind my visor.

Ghost now floated out beside me, hovering over to the Captain and scanning the cloak it wore around its shoulders. His eye narrowed slightly as he concentrated, twisting his tiny form this way and that with gentle whirring and clicks, "Good job. These were scouts from a Fallen House called…" he lowered toward the ground a bit as he compared the sigils with those from the database back at the Tower.

_Click._

I froze, breath catching in my throat.

"The House of Wolves." A new voice slyly spoke behind me. Ghost whirled, eye now fixated on whatever now stood with a firearm at my back, "Impressive moves Guardian, but I've seen better."

I flexed my hand slightly, my mind screaming for me to do something. Ghost met my eyeline and lsowly shook his form from left to right.

The man behind me exhaled in sarcastic laughter, "Thinking of fighting are we? Alright, then it'll be him going first."

Already I knew where his gun was going. No. I whirled, facing what I now saw to be an Awoken male, and glared at him defiantly from behind my Mangala helmet. Ghost, knowing his danger, took the cue to vanish from sight, but the familiar buzzing still reverberated at the back of my mind. He hadn't left. Good. I might need the revive.

The Awoken sighed, beginning to break out in mocking laughter, "Oh, what is it with you Guardians? Always so noble," he flitted his hands about, a chilling smile now spreading across his face, "Never taking a moment to look over your shoulder."

I growled, a dark smirk now spreading over my own mouth, "You must've been with the meatheads. The Titans. Those bastards have the brains of dirt…" I paused, "But they'd crush a smartass like you in a heartbeat…" On the off chance I was going to die here, I wasn't going to have my last words mock my rival class.

He laughed, stalking this way and that in front of me while he looked over his own hand cannon, "I'd like to see them tr-"

I lunged forwards, my knife arching towards his wrist. At the last second he whirled, catching it with his free hand and firing twice at my face. I barely angled my shoulders in time for the bullets to pass me by. I almost laughed, his eyes were shocked, was he surprised I would fight back? Growling, I snapped my helmet forwards, the cold metal slamming against his pitifully gloved hand and knocking his firearm from his grasp. It went careening ten meters away, and came to a rest by the Fallen Captain's corpse.

He gave a shout, whether it was from rage or pain, I could tell, and, with surprising strength, he whirled, and sent me into the rocks with a sickening thud. I saw stars, but, with an enraged grunt through clenched teeth, I charged forwards. The Awoken bastard was scrambling for his gun like a child, leaping into the air; I took my aim, and let the blade slice neatly through the air. He screamed in agony, and ceased his movements, reflexes urging him to remove the cause of pain. I stalked closer and closer to his twitching form, and crouched down in front of him, my left foot was firmly planted just over his testicles, if there were any down there, and the other was bent in preparation to make a mad dash for the firearm should this bastard keep going.

"Now tell me," I snapped darkly, my hand clamping tightly around the knife buried deeply in his flesh, "Who. Are. You." With each word, I twisted my knife deeper and deeper.

He gave pained laughter, meeting my visor with sassy, agony-ridden, yellow irises, "They call me Crow in the Reef."

The Reef- Oh shit.

"But most of you little Guardians, know me as the Queen's brother."

Fuck.


	6. Sweet Vengeance

**AN: I HAVE BEEN DYING FROM THE LACK OF UPLOADS! Finals suck guys, and I probably failed most of them because I was so worried about all of you waiting for the next chapter. Know that, in the two hours we had for our testing, the forty minutes I had left after finishing was full of research and writing for this story, so there will be many more frequent uploads to the story, also, I would like to take this moment to thank a few users for their reviews, follows, and favorites, and I would like to give Malakai-Macabre a shoutout for adding this story to a community, you're awesome! I would love to also shout out the following users who gave reviews that made my day: LightSam6161, Feoreldia, Dragona Ryder, Jraice, and VitriLilium, who are all kick-asses and could probably kill Atheon with a hand tied behind their back!**

**The next chapter will include a list of followers and favorites who have continued to encourage me to continue.**

**Enjoy the chapter guys! You'll get to see a bit of Artemis's…mental instability…~Broken Rain**

He was laughing now. The bastard was actually laughing. Something wasn't processing correctly in my mind. Crow, the Queen's brother was insane, stupid, or brave for laughing his ass off at _my_ gunpoint.

"You know something Guardian? Titans might not be the only ones low on brain cells." His voice dripped with sarcastic acid, "But Warlocks… _They're_ survivors…which begs the question, why didn't they survive with you?"

Dear God how did he know that? I snarled through clenched teeth, and tightened my grip on my hand cannon, "Watch yourself Crow, I never liked the Tower anyway, if I'm banished for killing you I might not regret it."

"Ohhhh, playing the tough act are we…_Artemis_?"

My blood ran cold, and my body stiffened. He'd never been at the Tower, I would've seen it, or at least heard about it from the younger Hunters that always came squawking at my feet at the Praetorian…so how did he know my name? I guess he thought it wise to push forwards from my silence,

"Yes, we know about you, Artemis, the Gunslinger, the lone wolf who lives for the perfect shot and 'whose pride is going to get her killed one of these days'! One of the more interesting topics at the Tower I must say, but my favorite has got to be-"

Rage danced through me like a fire, and I saw red blurring the edges of my vision, with a shout I ripped him from the ground, and slammed his back into the rusted metal of one of the planes, "Don't even say it you piece of shit!" I hissed through clenched teeth, my finger twitching over the trigger, every instinct I had screaming at me to blow the bastard's brains out. Crow coughed twice, my grip on his throat tightening considerably, his yellow eyes now hardening into a glare that resulted in a stare-down…

The first noise I heard was that of which I had heard only once before, and would forever haunt the darkest corners of my nightmares, coming forth when I was most vulnerable,

"_Nnnnn…jesh…slatobu…"_

"_Karanos! Ingou tel fotovescaba…"_

The jarbled, roaring voice started me from the Awoken prince in front of me, and I whirled my head foolishly from him…

Then they came…

The Knights.

Glowing green eyes pierced the darkness through and through, shattering the dimness of the cave to that of pure fury. Beneath my firm grip, Crow lunged forwards, knocking me off balance, and forcing me to stumble back…but it wasn't enough to warrant my attention. I should consider myself lucky. He made no move to attack, simply gazed at me with those disgusting, yellow eyes, then turned to face the Knights emerging from the cave…

The Knights who now saw us.

I heard retreating footsteps, so I knew I was alone…but those eyes. Those horrible green eyes… I could almost hear my Warlock partners screaming in agony as I stared at the Hive abominations, the scene replaying over and over in my head. Tonal, Excel-35, Barb, W4R3… All of them gone in an instant. Three shots was all it took from the Hive Boomer, sending their corpses flying into the repulsive, gushing cells that lined the walls of the Cosmodrome cave system… All I could ask myself was if these were the eyes I left my Fireteam brothers and sister to before their demises…

The cleaver began its descent, and with a shriek of outrage, I rolled to the right, shouting a simple command to my Ghost, wherever he was now.

"Heavy!"

The Cleaver hit the ground just to my right, and the shockwave sent me rolling to the mouth of the hollowed plane. Discarding my Renegade into its sheath at my side, I flexed my palms in angst, hearing the ever-quickening thudding of Knight footsteps coming closer and closer.

"Give 'em hell, Artemis." Echoed Ghost's dark reply. I almost forgot… He'd lost friends in that massacre as well…

The Hannibal dropped down into my hands with a satisfying _clink!_ and without a second thought, I charged forwards. The Cleaver descended to my right, and left a crack in the Earth that probably led to the core of the planet, but I was already off the ground. I whirled in the air, risking a shot from behind for the satisfying shrieks of the red, husk-plated asshole below me.

Each shot echoed resoundingly off the bay. Good. I wanted the whole damn Hive to hear it. I left the Knight by the plane, and barely breathing, crawling to get away from me. I know I should've felt something other than pleasure and happiness…but I didn't. It just felt soooo good.

"Guardian!" Ghost shouted in my ear, just enough time to leave the ground a second time, the Hive Boomer slamming into the dust below me, the screaming lingered, and tore me forwards. No one really knew why it screamed like that…I could only assume it held the dying noises of those it had ended…

"Burn in hell bitch-!" I choked out as the Hannibal fell to the ground. With a shout, I charged, anger and hatred fueling my body to a horrible fire, until it consumed my body and my Renegade Mk. I leapt into the fray, slamming the nozzle of my gun into the exposed flesh of the Knight, its eyes pierced my soul…

Then it was nothing but ashes.

I don't remember killing the others, at some point I grabbed my Hannibal back up and charged back into the cave, sending them back through a misting, green portal…but I can't remember killing them all. I remember...being on my hands and knees, breathing harder than I could ever imagine, with a Knight behind me, barely alive…

_Shing!_

I knew the sound of a knife when I heard one. The Knight's bits and pieces disintegrated around me, and with a gasp of exhaustion (and slight surprise) I lunged back to the cave wall. Coughing behind my Mangala skin, I slowly stood, and let Ghost take the Hannibal away in a flurry of pixels.

"You're welcome." Came the snarky remark from above, where the Awoken called Crow perched with a witty smile on his face.

"Nice throw." I muttered grudgingly, I wasn't even going to start the 'I didn't need help' argument.

"Not so bad yourself."

"Think it was my good looks that got me this far?" I questioned casually, leaning on one hip as I looked up at him. I didn't care if he was royalty, he wasn't getting any respect from me.

He shrugged, "Couldn't tell, haven't seen your face." He leapt down, mirroring my posture as he smirked expectantly.

"You always get what you want at the Reef?" I growled cautiously.

"More or less."

I took a moment's pause. Why not? It couldn't hurt. He could've left me for dead, but he stayed, he deserved to know at least what I looked like… Right?

"Gimme your gun and knife." I said curtly, holding out a hand with a tilted, but intimidating stance, to which he complied without two words. Snorting at the nonchalant behavior, I removed the clasps of the Mangala helmet, and slowly removed it.

The cold Russian air bit at my face, and sent the blood rising to my cheeks. No, it wasn't a blush, shut up. My hair fell out along my ears, the raggedy bun falling out into a scraggly ponytail, which I casually pushed against the back of my neck. My brown eyes zeroed in on his yellow ones, now scanning me up and down with mocking judgment.

"It's possible," he remarked holding out an expectant hand for his weapons. With a snort, I tossed them lazily into his hands and turned on my heel, "I hope to see you again Artemis." He called after me.

"Not likely."


	7. The Second Round

**Author's Note: As promised, I'd love to give a shoutout to the following users who have kept me working and writing to please and entertain them endlessly, Dragona Ryder, Erestory, Jraice, LightSam6161, Malakai-Macabre, Risse Angel, Seven-Deadly-Sins-Wrath, Tatsurion, TheNewestBound90, VitriLilium, bigman92, bumbee88, calebdieckman8, and jweis2011! Thank you all so much for your continued support and reviews! **

**Also, in order to continue this story, I will need other Guardians, Vendors, Scholars, Cryptarchs, Cult Members, etc. to be seen here and there around Venus, the Tower, the Reef, and even in separate missions or chapters entirely. From reading reviews and PMs I can tell that this story has developed an extremely dedicated fanbase, and I feel that support like that should not go unrewarded. To get a character in this story, simply post the following form completed in the reviews,**

**Full Name:**

**Age (approx.):**

**Gender:**

**Race:**

**Appearance (3 sentences):**

**Occupation (if Guardian, class):**

**Affiliations:**

**Personality (relate to Artemis and existing story characters in some way):**

**Other info?:**

**Thanks! Enjoy the chapter!**

**-Broken Rain**

"You what?!"

I winced at Ikora's yell, shame nipping my chest for a moment…but the hysterical, buzzing laughter of my EXO Vanguard snapped me out of it. A shadow of a smile flickered across my face.

"Cayde! Do you realize how serious this is? She attacked the brother of the _**Queen**_! I think that would call for _some_ disciplinary action on your part!"

"Oh come on Ikora," Cayde's light humor was gone, and replaced with hostility and irritation, coexisting in a deadly hurricane as his next words came out like acid, "He wasn't _killed_, it's this little thing called 'self-defense' and if your Warlocks bothered to think twice about it, maybe you wouldn't have so many casualties!"

Zavala, who had remained but a ghost in the background of the conflict, now moved forwards and placed his light blue hand on Cayde's shoulder. He'd gone too far. Ghost hovered down by my shoulder, exchanging an awkward glance with me as the Vanguard bickered quietly to one another…except Ikora. She remained silent.

So, I was left alone with my thoughts and questions. Though I never wished to be a Warlock, I so desired their ability to think about what questions they'd ask later and find the answers then. I'd never heard of the House of Wolves… Or why Crow of the Reef was working with them… The rational part of my brain told me it could only bring trouble, but in a world where the apocalypse rules, you never listen to your rationality. Thinking inside the box will only get you killed.

"Artemis."

I started out of my thoughts, and returned the now staring Vanguard's eyes with a glance of my own.

"Since I am in the minority of this situation-" Cayde took a moment to shoot a glare at Zavala, before looking back to me, "it has been decided that you will require a fitting punishment for your actions. That punishment however, is left up to the Vanguard of the offender."

I smirked in the shadow of my hair, and raised an eyebrow questioningly at the cocky EXO.

"So…you will go to Venus to push back the forces of Darkness that dwell there."

"What?! Cayde! That is no punishment!"

He whirled on the human Warlock, "I see it as a lesson. Artemis is comfortable on Earth and fighting the Fallen, but the Vex are all but unknown to her, with a new challenge she will need to put aside her so-called 'recklessness' and 'hotheadedness' to survive." That shut Ikora up alright. Satisfied, Cayde looked back to me, "You are to leave tomorrow, dismissed Gunslinger."

I gave a two-fingered salute to my Vanguard, and with a slight bounce in my step, I exited the Hall of Guardians. Excitement burned in my chest, and I could hardly keep the grand smile from my face as I broke out into the courtyard.

"Hey Artemis!" The cry rang out, and I quirked my head to face the oncoming Hunter. I remembered him well from the Praetorian, one of the younger Guardians that had been revved just off the coast of Iceland, and just about the only Bladedancer that I could stand.

"Hey Agro! How ya been?" I called, swinging my arm across his shoulders in a friendly manner. People had once started talking about the two of us, but make no mistake, my intentions towards the young Awoken were like those towards the brother I'd lost all those centuries ago.

He shrugged, nonchalantly flipping his disheveled, rusty brown hair out of his lime green eyes and giving me a childish smile, "Same old."

I gave him a look, "Agro, I gave you your first Hand Cannon, _and_ saved your pitiful ass from those Fallen Vandals when they had you pinned against the wall. Our sol system has been taken over by aliens…and all you can tell me is 'same old'?"

Agro chuckled under his breath, tapping the side of his head against my shoulder, "Alright, alright… So I was with my Fireteam, ya know, Ultim-43 and Cage? The Fallen Archon was coming on the right and the Stealth Vandals sneaking in on the left…"

I smiled and nodded, guiding the novice Bladedancer towards the infamous bar and plopping down in a seat beside him. A few other Hunters came over to sit beside us, chatting about all the feats they'd accomplished here and there. Trying to one up eachother in the dangers they'd walked out of unscathed. This was the part I missed the most whenever I left the Tower. The moments that took away the apocalypse and replaced it with a conversation I would've had when I was still…

Back when I…

Ah screw it, I loved these guys. They were the family I has forged in the years I'd spent on this god-forsaken planet.

"So what've you been up to as of late Arty?"

I looked up at the nickname, "Well…" I pause, hardly able to keep the excitement contained. I smiled grandly, "I'm going to Venus!"

At first, there were stares and silence. Then laughs and whoops of congratulations. We were by far the loudest group there, earning us some glares and irritated looks from the Titans and Warlocks assembled at some of the other tables.

"By the Traveler, really?"

"You show those metal tools who's boss!"

"Nice frigging job girl!"

"Kick some ass!"

Agro stood up, spilling some of his drink over the table as he lifted it in the air, "I propose a toast! To the most legendary Hunter in this beautiful city since Pahanin! Artemis! The Gunslinger! The lone wolf," he smirked at me, "who lives for the perfect shot!"

"To Artemis!" Came the chorus of the Hunters around me. Young and old. Awoken, EXO, and Human. Male and female. I could not have prayed for better company.

Our celebration was quickly cut short however, by short, sarcastic clapping and scoffs of soft laughter. I looked up, my brown eyes narrowing swiftly and my hand gently settling on my Hand Cannon as I stalked forwards. The Praetorian was in a rare state of complete silence.

"Lovely titles Miss Artemis."

"Crow," I just about snarled, "What're you doing here?"

Agro stood up behind me, shoving forwards much to my irritation, "The Tower is a place for Guardians! Not Reef filth!" he just about barked.

Crow stalked forwards, and my heart froze a little, towering over my young Awoken friend and glaring down at him with piercing yellow eyes, "Reef filth…" he chuckled, "It is strange how you so quickly throw your own people to the trash, when you yourself have disgraced the very title of Awoken." Agro stared unforgivingly into Crow's eyes about to snap back with a witty comeback, but quickly doubled over with a sharp cry. Looking up at the pair, I saw Crow withdrawing his fist. He was no Titan, but I knew a punch that would provoke any sound from Agro must've done something.

"That's it." I snapped, moving forwards, I put a gentle hand on Agro's shoulders and pushed him behind me. Crow seemed amused, and smirked at me challengingly.

"Got something to say Artemis?"

I lashed my hands out… My intention was to shove him away from my Hunters… Hmm, that's funny when I write it down like that. My Hunters. I like that. Anyways, I lashed my palms out towards his shoulders, but when his knee didn't have a knife in it, he moved quite swiftly. His blue hands clutched my wrists firmly enough to prevent any movement, but not enough to hurt.

"I didn't think so." He smirked, tilting his head a little too close for comfort, "Not so tough now, are we Art- ack!" Now it was his turn to double over.

Yes, he had confined my hands. Yet my knee was still available for all of its usages and perks… He had also failed to protect his groin, which had suffered a rather crude strike courtesy of my armored leg. I heard the Titans nearby trying to suppress their laughter, but failing rather miserably, and smirked. With a tough yank, I pulled out of his grip and gently set a pouch of Glimmer down by his feet,

"Go buy yourself some ice Crow. I'm sure whatever dignity you have left will need healing."

Round Two, went to me.


	8. Welcome to Venus, Noobie

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: John K. Minazuki belongs to Fan of Fanfics21! Sorry for the long delay, writer's block+school+snowstorm= FRUSTRATION! But I'm alright now, and I'll be uploading more regularly!**

**~Broken Rain**

The vast expanse of space whirled around me in a blinding mesh of blue; as I pulled away from the cockpit window reality hit me in the face in the form of the metal wall. Snarling under my breath, and trying to block out Ghost's chuckles, I snagged my Mangala helmet from its perch on the co-pilot seat and fit it firmly over my blonde locks of hair. The messy bun I'd constructed in the wee hours of the morning put pressure on the back of my skull, but not enough to cause any real damage or hindrance. Nothing would ruin today.

I was scouting Venus.

Now that the prying eyes of the Tower were far away, I allowed myself a tiny dance of excitement, giggling like a little schoolgirl who'd been asked to Prom by the football captain. Now I know, most would be afraid, the Vex were no laughing matter, and neither were the ever growing ranks of Fallen Houses that had grown to call Venus their home...but Earth had become such a bore. The same old desolate landscapes greeting me day after day, it's a wonder I hadn't gone mad.

Earth was long behind me, and now, I was joining the big leagues. I may have been a big shot back at the Tower, but out here was where the REAL Guardians fought. The ones that no one had ever heard about and sat in their dark corners of the Praetorian. The ones who the survivors of this would REALLY remember. My heart pounded just thinking about it.

The streaks of hyperspace slowly evened out…and there it was, staring me plainly in the face. Venus. I smirked behind the cold metal of my helmet, snagging my Renegade Mk. from its resting place by the door. Ghost popped out of subspace, white pixels fading from his initial entrance. His lower eye panel was scrunched upwards. He was either just excited as me, or terrified. I hoped to whatever God was left it was the latter.

"We can still turn back." His words were unsure, and for good reason. I felt my irritation flare up like the rays of our dying sun, and whirled on him.

"I have no plans on doing such a thing. Take us down. Now."

His blue eye gave the imitation of wincing, and without another bout of protest, my vision blurred white. I blinked once. That was all it took. When my eyes opened again, they were blessed with the pale skies and untamed wilderness of another world. I clutched my Renegade a little tighter in my right hand, and moved forwards.

The cries of God only know what sounded off in the distance, and I cast my gaze upwards to the pale orange skies. Purple clouds wafted in front of the exotic skies, and for just a moment, I was pulled from the world of warfare and tossed into the realm of tranquility. I would've stood there forever if I could have. Now I understood why our ancestors had so feverishly pursued the goal of interstellar expansion. Today I would still kill a thousand souls to be back on that cliffside for just a minute.

I was torn from my daze by the scuttling of rocks behind me. Immediately I whirled, and fired. I hadn't been expecting _him_ so soon. I thought I might have a moment to myself before he butt his ugly face into my business. I'd heard stories of the bastarad before I'd come, Cayde wouldn't shut up about him before I'd left, and any Hunter that survived Venus long enough to make it back to the Tower either cursed, or blessed his name.

John K. Minazuki.

He was one of the first to scout the Vault of Glass, and the only one of the Fireteam to escape its horrible clutches. His accomplices had been the Warlock San-Ten of the Future War Cult, and the Titan Br34k of the Shield Brethren Clan, not lost to the tides of the war. This cocky son of a bitch was also the only known holder of Vex weaponry, something called 'Found Verdict' that was supposedly forged by the legendary Kabr, the Legionless.

Anyway, I hadn't expected to see him…or move so fast.

Bladedancers in general were fast little fuckers who depended more on the 'hit and run' stratagem rather than the elusive constant of their Gunslinger brethren. John K. Minazuki was one of the best.

As soon as the bullet had left my clip, he was gone, first on my right, then on my right, and on instinct, I ran for the cliff's edge. My feet left the rock, and immediately the light carried me higher and higher, then left me to my own devices. My Dreg knife left my hand somewhere in my descent, and was caught swiftly by the legendary Bladedancer. My fingers slammed painfully into the crevices of the rocks, and I struggled to pull myself upon the crown of the craggy cliff. As my legs found solid ground, I found my Mangala helmet at the tip of a gun, held by a being sparking with holy Arc Light.

"And you're already dead."

I scowled, pushing away his Scout Rifle and holding out an expectant hand for my Dreg Knife. I wasn't going anywhere without that thing. His smirk burned my chest in frustration, and he began to twirl the knife with tricks I envied.

"Artemis, right?"

"No, Bill Cosby. Hand it over jackass."

He laughed, "Jackknife actually."

Holy shit he was just as insane as Crow, "Come again?"

"You were trying to name my armor correct? It's called Jackknife."

"No, I was trying to name you."

"Well, my name is-"

"John K. Minazuki. I know, now give it back."

I'm almost positive he was laughing behind his helmet, either that, or God expelled immediate karma and he was choking. Either way, I was getting that knife.

"Ghost." I spoke curtly, and my friend appeared, he inched close to the legendary Hunter and began to fiddle with a beam of light, before he too was met with a combatant. Another Ghost, presumably John's, had slammed its shell into mine's with a horrible crack.

"_Well that was rude." _ Hissed my Ghost.

"_Back off noobie, John knows what he's doing."_

"_So does Artemis."_ Ghost snapped in response.

"_If she knew what she were doing she'd have already gotten her knife back."_

_**CRACK!**_

I coughed to cover up my snicker; Ghost had retaliated, and sent John's into the rock wall of the cliff. The opposing red and orange robot floated a little lower to the ground, dazed, and probably wounded enough to warrant Minazuki's attention.

I lashed out, snagging the blade from his hands before recalling Ghost, "Maybe some other time Johnny-Boy!" I called over my shoulder, before mounting my Nomad and taking off down the trail. I had a feeling that I would be seeing him again at a later time.

I was right…but that, my dear bearer, is a story for another time.


End file.
